2020 Edition

Lino leather is a material research into linoleum. Changes have been made in the production process and in the substance composition of linoleum, in order to develop a more tactile material with a wider range of application possibilities.

Linoleum is made from natural materials like: linseed oil, wood fibres, pine resin, limestone and lignin. Unfortunately, the material created with these components is still, after 100 years, mainly applied as a flooring material. But by leaving out the pigments and the limestone and by pressing a fibre net in between two layers of Lino leather, the material gains depth, becomes more flexible and self-supporting and gains the advantage of two useable sides instead of one. The combination of these characteristics has led to a vegan material that is similar to saddle leather and can be applied in furniture and fashion accessories.

Larger commercial interior and fashion companies that offer products made from a ‘vegan’ leather material, often use materials made from polyester. This is very misleading since these materials are not directly harmful to animals but are still toxic for the environment. Because Lino leather is created out of a commercial material that can be produced on a very large scale, this new material can play an important role as a real vegan substitute for these polystyrene ‘vegan’ leather like materials used by larger commercial companies.

To meet the commercial standards, the existing flooring material linoleum contains a lot of pigments to prevent colour change, which results in a material without any dept. Next to that, linoleum is rolled as smooth as possible. These features can give linoleum a bleak and sterile look. Because Lino leather is created out of a more soft and flexible substance than Linoleum, the material can gain a rumen leather like texture during production. This characteristic, in addition to the materials heavy weight makes Lino leather also suitable as an acoustic wall covering.